Once Jesus established His authority, he gave a direct command to those who followed Him: make disciples of all nations. In this case, “make” doesn’t mean strong-arm or compel. No one can be forced into Christianity; believing is a choice made by the individual. But believers are to teach other believers to follow the Master’s instruction. There are two other important things to take away here. First, Jesus said “go” because these people had followed Him to the Galilean hlllside where they would witness Him ascend into heaven. He didn’t want them staying there watching for Him to come back again—they had work to do! So go, and make disciples while you’re going, wherever you’re going. Second, the “all nations” can lead us to believe this is a call to missionaries who travel overseas. It is, but it’s not theirs alone. God always intended for His people to influence the nations (read Genesis 12:1-3). Some will venture to other countries to share the Gospel, but wherever we go, we encounter people who don’t yet know Jesus. It’s every believer’s commission to spread the Good News until all nations have heard of the the saving grace of Jesus Christ. So what are we waiting for? Let’s go!
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